Seeing life's events in the light of God's Word.

I Peter 1:9- “…for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”

For as long as I can remember, people have been fascinated by robots. And, every so many years, a new generation of robots is introduced, capable of so much more than their predecessors.

This week, on television, I was astounded to see a female robot with a modern haircut and wearing a stylish skirt and blouse.

The robot was so lifelike, it was incredible. It was one of the new line of “social robots” that are said to have personalities and emotions of their own. They show, and react to, facial expressions, engage in conversations, and even make eye contact. One such robot is actually “working” behind a Welcome Desk at a Singapore university!

While technology may produce lifelike robots that are difficult to tell from real persons, be assured that we will never see them in heaven.

Man may be capable of creating a lot of amazing things, but he cannot create a living soul.

Only God can do that.

And, only human beings with souls can experience what it’s like to have faith in God and receive the gift of salvation, the “end result of our faith.”

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Psalm 142: 2,3– “I pour out my complaints before him and tell him all my troubles. When I am overwhelmed, you alone know the way I should turn.”

King David, who wrote most of the Psalms, was bold—even sometimes confrontational—as he prayed. He didn’t hold back. He laid it all on the line. As a result, he experienced forgiveness and direction.

When I was a kid, I liked a popular spiritual song on the radio, called, “Just a Little Talk With Jesus.” The last four lines are:

I may have doubts and fears, my eyes be filled with tears, But Jesus is a friend who watches day day and night. I go to him in prayer, he knows my every care, And just a little talk with Jesus makes it right.

I often find myself talking to God while I am driving or doing mundane tasks like folding laundry. Talking it out, leaning on Him, sharing my concerns—these are all aspects of prayer.

Just like David, I find that just a little talk with Jesus makes it right.

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2 Samuel 10:2- “David thought, “I will show kindness to Hanun son of Nahash, just as his father showed kindness to me.”

I placed my order and pulled forward to pay for my meal at the fast food drive thru. Imagine my surprise when the teenager at the window said, “No charge. The lady in the car in front of you paid your bill.”

I honked, waived, and told the kind stranger thank you as I stuck my head out of the car window. “Have a good day,” she said as she drove down the busy street and out of sight.

What a nice—and totally unexpected blessing. It made my day. There was still some goodness left in our world, after all.

The idea called, “pay it forward,” leaves it up to me to perform a nice gesture for someone else.

Repaying kindness with kindness.

The phrase “paying it forward” may have originated after a movie featured it some years ago, but the Bible records many instances of similar acts done in Biblical times—David paying respects to Hanun at the death of his father, King of the Ammonites; Rahab’s life being spared because she hid Israelite spies on her rooftop to protect them from attacking soldiers, and so on.

When someone repays kindness with kindness, we all remark about how nice it was…how thoughtful…even unusual in our world today. It is almost unheard of, however, for someone to repay with kindness those who hurt them.

Repaying unkindness with kindness?

Jesus was flogged, beaten, spit upon, denied, ridiculed. Yet, he repaid those unkindnesses by dying on the cross for the sins of those people, as well as our own.